by Wahidabi Sulaiman

Created on: April 08, 2010   Last Updated: April 09, 2010

If you are new to freelance writing or you have been at it for ages, you could suffer from “the urge not to write” syndrome. It is not a bad thing but not a good thing either if you are suffering this syndrome for a longer time than necessary. Sometimes you may feel that you are getting monotonous as you keep writing about the same topic day in and day out as that topic is your niche or is the current project you are working on. You could also be feeling a little low on energy because you have been at the computer typing away for a long stretch. Your fingers could be tired or you cannot bear the thought of going through writing another article on “stop smoking!”

Taking a break is a good thing. This will help you regain focus and get some fresh air. This break will stimulate your brain when you come back to your researching and typing as your brain is filled with new air that have the tendency to give you the extra boost and alertness required. However, sometimes the “the urge not to write” syndrome is so overwhelming that you may find you have taken a break too long but hate to admit it. This is a bad thing as you will have to bear the consequence.

This could be your part time job or a full time job. This could be your passion or you have to do it because at present this is the only job at hand. Whatever the reason, you have to write if you have accepted a project and you have to write in order to maintain your momentum in writing. You also have to write in order to keep up with what is the “in” thing in freelance writing. Yu simply must not stop writing unless you plan to leave the freelance writing career altogether. Here are some ways you can overcome the “urge not to write” syndrome.

Plan your schedule

It is hard to stick with the schedule when you are feeling the syndrome. However, planning does one very good thing. It shows that you have pending work very clearly that you need to finish. This does act as a deterrent for many freelance writers to take too long a break from writing.

Set your alarm

This helps you to time your breaks. Timing breaks will ensure that you have sufficient break and that you do miss your deadline. The urge to get back to work will be there as well. Now, if you are the type who would toss the alarm out of the window when it rings, you should leave the alarm in your work area so that you need to go over in order to switch it off.

Make time to spend with family and friends

Just because you have a hectic deadline oriented freelance writing job does not mean that you have to sacrifice your social and family life. Now, you could have chosen to freelance to actually spend time with your family and friends. If you are overloaded with work that you cannot spend time either of them, you need to analyse what is wrong.

Motivational notes

Leave motivational notes in all places you will lay your eyes on. This could be writing out your goals, your next planned holiday, your bank account balance at the end of the month or anything that will motivate you to stay focused on your work

In conclusion, the strong motivation for any freelance writer to focus on the writing and overcome the “urge not to write” syndrome is to remember you goal.  Money, time, flexibility and many other attributes are the plus points of a freelance career. If any of these are missing out, you are overworking and hence need to analyse the situation

Learn more about this author, Wahidabi Sulaiman.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.